Good morning, and happy St. Patrick's Day.

The battle over health care legislation continues to dominate the news in the U.S.

As NPR's Don Gonyea reported on Morning Edition, the sharp political divisions were on display yesterday in Ohio:

Also on Morning Edition, NPR's David Welna looked at the possibility that the so-called public option may not be quite dead just yet.

CNN, meanwhile, is reporting that while Democratic leaders keep saying they think they have the votes to pass their version of the legislation in the House later this week, opponents are "just 11 votes shy of the 216 needed to prevent President Obama from scoring a major victory on his top domestic priority."

As Liz Halloran reported for us yesterday, there's considerable uproar over the possibility that Democrats may "deem" the Senate version of the overhaul legislation to have been passed.

Other stories making headlines today include:

— The Associated Press — "State Prison Numbers Drop For First Time Since 1972": "Spurred by budget crises, California and Michigan together reduced their prison populations by more than 7,500 last year, contributing to what a new report says is the first nationwide decline in the number of state inmates since 1972. The overall drop was slight, according to the Pew Center on the States — just 0.4% — but its report suggests there could be a sustained downward trend because of keen interest by state policymakers in curtailing corrections costs."

Related story by the Los Angeles Times — "California's Prison Population Falls For The Third Straight Year": "California reported the greatest absolute drop last year — a reduction of 4,257 prisoners. The continuing decline represents a trend for California, where the number of inmates grew from 76,000 in 1988 to nearly 170,000 today."

— The New York Times — "Followers Of Sadr Emerge Stronger After Iraq Elections": "The followers of Moktada al-Sadr, a radical cleric who led the Shiite insurgency against the American occupation, have emerged as Iraq's equivalent of Lazarus in elections last week, defying ritual predictions of their demise and now threatening to realign the nation's balance of power."

— Grand Forks Herald — As Fargo Prepares For Flooding, Officials Say Preparations Are Looking Good: "Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker was upbeat Tuesday after a helicopter tour of the metro area's flood trouble spots. 'Looks good out there. I've seen a lot worse,' he said. 'In reality, things look better than I anticipated,' he said, adding that the fields are probably 70% clear of snow."

— Morning Edition — Afghan Police Commandos Training To Crack Down On Drug Trade" "The opium trade in Afghanistan is a key source of income for the Taliban. Drug dealers, seeking to keep U.S., NATO and Afghan forces off their trail, pour hundreds of millions of dollars into the militant group's coffers each year. The money is used to carry out suicide bombings and other attacks in the heart of major Afghan cities, including the capital, Kabul. But about an hour's drive south of Kabul, a group of Afghan police commandos is working around the clock to cut off this dangerous funding source." NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reports:

Also on Morning Edition — Two Westerners Still In Kandahar Say Taliban Is Preparing For Battle: Felix Kuehn and Alex Strick van Linschoten spoke with ME host Renee Montagne:

Among stories to watch for later today:

— Wholesale inflation: The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases figures on the February change in prices at the wholesale level, at 8:30 a.m. ET.

— Jobs: The Senate this morning is expected to pass a jobs bill that would give some tax breaks to businesses that hire the unemployed. The AP says "the bill contains about $18 billion in tax breaks and a $20 billion infusion of cash into highway and transit programs."

— Obama on Fox: President Barack Obama goes on Fox News Channel's Special Report with Bret Baier. The interview airs at 6 p.m. ET.